From Policy to Action Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals About ACFID

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) is the peak body for Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) involved in international development and humanitarian action. Our vision is of a world where all people are free from extreme poverty, injustice and inequality and where the earth’s finite resources are managed sustainably. Our purpose is to lead and unite our members in action for a just, equitable and sustainable world.

Founded in 1965, ACFID currently has 127 members and 15 affiliates operating in more than 100 developing countries. The total revenue raised by ACFID’s membership from all sources amounts to $1.525 billion (2013-14), $838 million of which is raised from over 1.5 million Australians (2013-14). ACFID’s members range between large Australian multi-sectoral organisations that are linked to international federations of NGOs, to agencies with specialised thematic expertise, and smaller community based groups, with a mix of secular and faith based organisations.

ACFID members must comply with the ACFID Code of Conduct, a voluntary, self-regulatory sector code of good practice that aims to improve international development outcomes and increase stakeholder trust by enhancing the transparency and accountability of signatory organisations. Covering over 50 principles and 150 obligations, the Code sets good standards for program effectiveness, fundraising, governance and financial reporting. Compliance includes annual reporting and checks. The Code has an independent complaints handling process.

Acknowledgements This paper was produced with the funding and support of Beyond 2015 (www.beyond2015.org). ACFID also acknowledges its long-standing partnership agreement with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This paper has been developed with the input of sectoral experts from the following ACFID member agencies:

ActionAid Australia Caritas Australia Habitat for Humanity Australia International Women’s Development Agency Live and Learn Environmental Education Oxfam Australia PLAN International Australia RESULTS International (Australia) Save the Children Australia WASH Reference Group WaterAid Australia World Vision Australia WWF Australia

Finally, ACFID acknowledges the contribution of Garth Luke who peer-reviewed this paper.

Cover image: CARE staff distribute Australian aid supplies following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. Credit: Lucy Beck/CARE Contents

Foreword—From Now to 2030: Beyond Business as Usual . . . . .3

Introduction ...... 4 Summary of ideas to drive progress on the SDGs through the Australian aid program ...... 6

The Goals and Targets ...... 12 Goal 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development ...... 12 Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere ...... 16 Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture ...... 18 Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages ...... 20 Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all ...... 22 Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls ...... 24 Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all . . .26 Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all . . . . 28 Goal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all ...... 30 Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation ...... 32 Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries ...... 34 Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable . . . .36 Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns ...... 38 Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts* ...... 40 Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development ...... 42 Goal 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss ...... 44 Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels ...... 46

Conclusion ...... 48 Current Member List ...... 49 2 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 3 Foreword From Now to 2030: Beyond Business as Usual

For the first time in global history, we stand at the brink of ending the worst forms of poverty around the world. The last 15 years have already seen more than 1 billion people lifted out of extreme poverty. Far more could be achieved by harnessing the tremendous technological advancements of the last decade, through brokering new partnerships and mobilising new resources, and through innovative and effective government policy. There is no doubt we could realistically see the end of global poverty in our lifetime.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a landmark global paradigm to make this a reality. Agreed to by all 193 members of the United Nations in 2015, the SDGs aim to achieve peace, prosperity and sustainability for all people by 2030. The SDGs sit alongside an ambitious agenda for financing development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Together they recognise that to finally address poverty, the world must also address the growing inequality within and between countries, the increasing strain on the world’s resources and the global environment, and the burgeoning threats to peace and stability.

The SDGs place particular responsibility on prosperous nations like Australia. Australia’s region is home to many developing countries who continue to struggle with unacceptably high rates of poverty, violence and instability. Australia’s task is not just to implement the SDGs for its own people, but to help achieve the SDGs for people across our region.

At a policy level, the aim must now be to reorient our models, programming and our ways of working to set Australia on a course to bring about the SDGs over the next 15 years. While we must take a long term view of achieving the Goals, this should not lead us to be complacent that the early work can wait. The SDGs require us to think beyond business as usual and to start thinking that way from today.

But to have any meaningful chance at achieving the SDGs, we must ensure policy is backed by political will and a renewed political commitment to Australia’s international development efforts.

Sustainable development principles must sit at the heart of not just our aid program, but extend to our international trade and diplomatic engagements. Australia’s policies in areas such as migration, taxation and the environment must further the achievement of the SDGs. We must rebuild our aid budget. We must come to the global table with resources commensurate with our wealth and place in the world. We must contribute to the resolution of shared problems by finding shared solutions and contributing to the costs of implementing them. Australia must show global leadership to drive progress towards the achievement of the SDGs in our region and around the world.

As a technologically sophisticated, educated and compassionate nation, and as a respected middle power – this is all within Australia’s reach. This report provides ideas on how we can begin this journey. It is time for the Australian Government to lift its game and go beyond business as usual to fulfill the promise of the SDGs. ACFID and its members stand ready to assist.

Marc Purcell CEO of the Australian Council for International Development

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 3 Introduction

On the 25th of September 2015, the 193 member countries of the United Nations brought into force the 2030 Agenda – a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 and a revitalised global partnership to bring them about. This new agenda applies to all nations and seeks to end poverty, reduce inequality, protect human rights, promote prosperity and sustain the environment to 2030. Achieving the SDGs will require a paradigm shift in the way we think about development. We must consider the relationships between economic growth, environmental sustainability and human development, think creatively about how we finance development outcomes, and find ways to enable different actors from across the globe to work together to achieve a common purpose.

Australia, like all nations, stands at the beginning of a 15-year journey to achieve the SDGs. Australia has an opportunity to demonstrate global leadership by driving progress towards the Goals globally through Australia’s development policy and aid program, and at home for all Australians.

This paper analyses current Australian aid policy and provides actions the Government can take in the short term to ensure the Australian aid program is able to deliver on its commitments over the next 15 years.

What are the SDGs? The SDGs replace and build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which ran from 2000 to 2015, and incorporate the UN’s broader sustainable development agenda. The MDGs helped catalyse action around the world to reduce poverty, improve health and education, and support more sustainable and inclusive development. Though not all of the MDGs were achieved, the last 15 years have seen unprecedented improvements to human welfare around the world. There have been dramatic cuts to child and maternal mortality, and to the number of children out of school; more than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.1

The new SDGs are based on years of extensive global consultation across developing and developed nations, the private sector and civil society. They are a comprehensive framework of 17 Goals and 169 targets (and indicators, to be finalised in early 2016), reflecting the complexity of the challenges facing the world today. Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs apply to developing and developed countries alike, recognising that issues of rising inequality within and between countries, global disease, environmental degradation, and the rising scale and severity of conflict and humanitarian disasters are not confined to national borders, and require all nations to work together.

Although all countries must now bring about the SDGs, not all countries are starting from the same place. The sustainable development agenda recognises that some countries – such as African countries, least developed countries, small island developing states and states in conflict or post-conflict situations – face particular challenges and have a harder road to meet the SDGs.2 For this reason, the 2030 Agenda places greater responsibility on the developed nations of the world to assist vulnerable countries to achieve the goals and targets of the SDGs. Unlocking new finance and resources for sustainable development is central to this, as is enhanced global cooperation across countries and sectors.

The UN Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which sits alongside the SDGs, captures this vision for a revitalised global partnership between all countries. It calls for the SDGs to be embedded within official development assistance programs and importantly, outlines policies and actions to mobilise different forms of public and private finance, to enable knowledge and technology transfer, and to promote innovation and build capacity in developing countries.

1 United Nations, 2015 Millennium Development Goals Progress Report 2 United Nations, 2015, Transforming our World – The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, pg. 8

4 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 5 Leaving no one behind Central to the SDGs is a commitment to leave no one behind. This commitment comes in recognition that progress for one group of people does not automatically improve the lives of everyone; special care must be taken to ensure those who are most disadvantaged benefit from progress towards the Goals. The Australian Government must take care in implementing its commitments under the SDGs to ensure the inclusion of all groups.

Australia is a recognised world leader on disability inclusive development, and is well placed to ensure consideration of the needs of people with disabilities is mainstreamed across aid investments, particularly by implementing its strategy Development for all: 2015–2020. The strong commitment to gender equality embedded through Australia’s aid program also provides a foundation for achieving gender outcomes through all aspects of the implementation of the SDGs. And the recently released Indigenous Peoples Strategy provides a framework for promoting indigenous rights and ensuring inclusion across aid investments. However, policies and strategies such as these must be backed up by continued efforts to shift Government practice – as well as appropriate levels of funding – until inclusive practices are mainstreamed across the entire aid program.

Purpose and scope of this paper This paper focuses on how Australia can help bring about the 2030 Agenda regionally and globally through the Australian aid program. The paper considers each of the 17 goals individually, beginning with an analysis of Goal 17, which focuses on the means necessary to implement the 2030 Agenda. The paper then addresses the remaining goals in numerical order, discussing the importance of each goal, reviewing a sample of existing Australian aid policies and programs relevant to the goal, and then setting out ideas for how such policies and programs could be enhanced to drive greater action on the goal in the short term (1 to 3 years).

The ideas presented in this paper are designed to build on Australia’s existing strengths and capabilities, or target key areas where Australia could and should do more. While many of Australia’s existing aid policies and programs are already in alignment with the Goals and targets of the SDGs, fully implementing this new agenda requires going beyond business as usual. The Goals call on Australia and all nations to do more than align existing policies with the Goals, rather we must develop new and innovative policies, partnerships and ways of working that drive progress towards the Goals and scale up impact.

To contain its scope, the analysis and ideas presented in this paper fall within the remit of the Australian aid program. However, it is critical that Australia ensures all of its policies affecting the prospects of developing countries contribute to bringing about the SDGs (see further discussion under Goal 17). Australia’s policies in areas such as the environment, trade, migration and taxation should all reflect the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda.

Finally, it is worth noting that the SDGs are interconnected and build on each other. The ideas in this paper are predicated on the notion that the achievement of each Goal is contingent on the achievement of others. The pursuit of a few Goals at the expense of the balance may undermine the achievement of the sustainable development agenda as a whole.

ACFID and its members are keen to work alongside the Australian Government, other sectors in Australia, and with international partners to bring about the new sustainable development agenda over the next 15 years.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 5 Summary of ideas to drive progress on the SDGs through the Australian aid program

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere Page 16 • Ensure the bulk of Australia’s aid investments are focused on low-income countries, countries with low rates of human development, fragile states, conflict and post-conflict states, and countries with persistently high gender inequalities. Within this, half of Australian aid should be targeted at fragile and conflict affected states – where the majority of the world’s poorest people now reside. • Ensure that within countries, aid investments focus on fostering income growth and opportunities for the poorest 40 per cent of people and extend to poor and marginalised groups such as women, children, people with a disability, indigenous people and ethnic and sexual minorities. • Ensure that all aid investments, regardless of their objectives, consider the effects of climate change and other environmental and economic shocks, and aim to increase community resilience to these external shocks.

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Page 18 • Prioritise aid investments that target the specific barriers facing female small scale farmers, particularly to increase their access to credit, technology and agricultural extension services. • Ensure aid investments in agriculture, fisheries and water incorporate systems that are resilient to climate-related events. • Increase investment in programs that have an explicit nutrition orientation for pregnant women and children to ensure adequate nutrition for all pregnant women and children is achieved in the Pacific.

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Page 20 • Continue to work with partner governments to strengthen healthcare delivery systems, and continue to invest in partnerships between non-government agencies and either government or private sector providers in order to serve marginalised communities and achieve universal coverage. • Include safeguards in any transition away from direct service funding to ensure that poor and vulnerable people continue to receive effective health services. • Prioritise investment in maternal and child health care, including in sexual and reproductive health and rights in Pacific countries. • Prioritise investment – including through private sector partnerships – in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) given the rapidly growing risk to health that NCDs pose to the Asia-Pacific region.

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Page 22 • Continue to support programs that support teacher training and the management of effective education systems, particularly in the Pacific. • Ramp up funding and support for early childhood education as one of the best and most cost effective areas to invest in to create sustainable economic and social change in the region. • Assist partner governments to increase student retention in secondary schools, with a special focus on girls. Australia should focus on quality learning that encourages young women to join the post-school workforce or engage with further study. • Maintain Australia’s financial contribution to the Global Partnership for Education at the next pledging conference, as an effective global mechanism targeted at increasing access to, and quality of, education.

6 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 7 Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Page 24 • Significantly increase the proportion of investments that have gender as the principal focus, building on the long term, sustained funding and programmatic model established by Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development. • Increase support for women’s organisations in partner countries that are on the front line working with communities to tackle gender discrimination. • Increase the support for sexual and reproductive health and rights within the aid program and in policy engagement with partner governments. • Invest in the use of the Individual Deprivation Measure in the monitoring and evaluation of aid investments across the aid program to better identify the differentiated social and economic conditions faced by women in developing countries.

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Page 26 • Focus on increasing access to water and sanitation for women, girls and other marginalised groups. Australia’s aid investments in hygiene, water and sanitation must take into account the barriers faced by these groups, and should be implemented in partnership with private sector providers and NGOs, particularly women’s organisations and disabled person’s organisations, to ensure increased access for all. • Continue to invest in the Civil Society WASH Fund as a vital initiative for enhancing the sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, directly benefitting over 3.5 million people. • Support Australia’s newly established International Water Centre to provide links between Australian expertise and the water management needs of developing countries, including training for overseas water managers on integrated water resource management. • Support global action to manage water resources and restore water-related ecosystems including exporting Australian expertise in water basin management and supporting the regional implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Page 28 • Significantly increase funding for renewable energy infrastructure and support partner countries to implement existing nationally-developed renewable energy plans. • Further prioritise aid investments that focus on off-the-grid solutions and help poor and remote communities to overcome the financial barriers to energy access, through supporting innovative financing schemes, local entrepreneurship and payment plans. • Actively support and engage in regional processes to improve energy regulation and efficiency and develop government-to-government and public-private partnerships such as the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit and the Bali Clean Energy Forum.

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all Page 30 • Ensure that implementation of the private sector development strategy focuses on improving the productive capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises, and informal enterprises in developing countries. • Ensure aid for trade investments increase the capacity and resources available to poor sections of the community to enable them to more effectively contribute, and benefit from, economic activity, with a focus on the quality of trade and local employment creation. • Use governance investments to promote stronger regulatory and institutional environments for the protection of labour rights, and safe and secure working environments for all workers. • Champion an agreement by G20 member states to ensure that public procurement value chains do not contribute to the demand for goods produced through child labour.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 7 Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Page 32 • Complement large-scale infrastructure investments with small-scale, community focused infrastructure that can have a significant impact on poverty reduction and growth, without large upfront capital expenditure. • Adhere to appropriate environmental and social safeguards for infrastructure investments. Specifically, Australia should apply standards such as the World Bank’s revised safeguards which seek to be the most advanced environmental and social framework of its kind within the international financial community, including through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. • Ensure local economic benefits are generated by infrastructure projects through community-based construction models which drive local employment and business opportunities. • Ensure that the needs and perspectives of affected communities are at the forefront of decision- making on infrastructure investments through consulting with local communities, civil society and local governments.

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries Page 34 • Ensure human rights principles guide programming in all sectors of the Australian aid program including health, education, governance and private sector development. • Work with partner governments to support the development and adoption of fiscal, wage and social protection policies that support greater equality. • Provide multilateral and bilateral assistance to developing countries to better measure where the benefits of growth are flowing within their economies and to ensure that aid programs effectively assist the poorest 40 per cent of populations. • Ensure private sector engagement in the delivery of aid continues to promote inclusion and delivers outcomes for the poorest communities. There is scope to encourage NGOs and private sector organisations to partner on shared value projects that generate development and commercial returns and safeguard the interests of the poorest.

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Page 36 • Ensure aid policies and programs are informed by a deeper analysis and understanding of urbanisation dynamics, urban hazards and urban disaster risk reduction and resilience approaches. • Ensure forthcoming urbanisation guidance notes consider how aid investments in areas such as health, education, water and sanitation are adapted to the specific challenges of urban environments (particularly urban slums) in order to contribute to improved health, social and environmental outcomes. • Use the new portfolio of a Minister for Cities and the Built Environment to link national and international programs and knowledge exchange for sustainable and liveable cities • Use DFAT’s involvement in the urbanisation group within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to support the formulation of an urbanisation agenda for the region. • Adapt existing disaster prevention and response policies and practices to urban contexts. Urbanisation has important consequences for disaster risk reduction and emergency responses, as informal settlers in urban and peri-urban areas are particularly vulnerable.

8 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 9 Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Page 38 • Outline how Australia’s aid investments will contribute to implementation of the 10 Year Programme of Action, as outlined in Goal 12.1. This should include the promotion of sustainable production (development of less polluting and more resource efficient products, processes and services) and sustainable consumption patterns and behaviours (purchase of less polluting and more resource-efficient products; conducting more sustainable lifestyles and behaviour). • Prioritise aid investments that support SMEs to adopt sustainable consumption and production practices by improving their access to finance and technical innovations, and by ‘greening’ the supply chain through encouraging sound environmental practices.

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Page 40 • Develop and implement a climate change strategy for Australia’s aid program to ensure climate change is integrated across policy areas and to drive targeted climate change programming, particularly in Pacific Island countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change and climate-related disasters. • Scale up Australia’s contribution to international climate finance from approximately $200 million to $558 million per year in public finance. Climate finance must be on top of Australia’s existing development assistance, to prevent the diversion of funding from other poverty alleviation programs. Such funding should be channelled through the Green Climate Fund and through bilateral and regional aid programs. Funding to Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries for climate change adaptation should be prioritised.

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development Page 42 • Focus on working with regional agencies and national governments to improve fisheries governance and regulation, strengthen institutions and enhance legal frameworks to improve compliance. • Prioritise aid investments to sustain small-scale coastal commercial and subsistence fisheries – working with local communities and NGOs to manage marine resources, focusing on building capacities within local communities and government agencies.

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss Page 44 • Introduce a forest ecosystem component to DFAT’s aid program, including a commitment to support forest ecosystem conservation and equitable land tenure reform in rainforest countries. • Continue to work with partner governments to reduce degradation and deforestation, and improve sustainable forest management in developing countries. • Continue to protect high conservation value and high carbon stock forests, particularly those which conserve species impacted by development; do this through cooperation with indigenous peoples and local communities, and through recognition of indigenous conserved territories and areas.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 9 Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Page 46 • Develop a rigorous policy framework to guide efficient, effective, timely and accountable responses to protracted crises, including through multi-year funding agreements that strategically address the root causes and chronic indicators of crises. • Bolster implementation of Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, including by implementing the findings of the 2015 Global Study on the Implementation of UNSCR 1325. • Increase support for preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in Melanesia, which is widespread, persistent and unacceptably high. • Increase support for building an enabling environment for civil society in developing countries, and support local civil society organisations to help foster active citizens and hold governments to account. • Continue to promote and adhere to international humanitarian law and human rights law, and work in close cooperation with human rights bodies.

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Page 12 • Take a whole of government approach to sustainable development. All Australian Government policies that affect developing countries – such as our environmental, migration, taxation and trade policies – must be aligned with and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in developing countries. This requires a whole of government plan for implementing the SDGs and a unit within Prime Minister and Cabinet with oversight for policy coherence. • In line with renewed international commitments, commit to lifting aid levels to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent ODA/GNI by 2030. Australia should also increase the transparency of the aid program, and continue to meet the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standards with up-to-date information about budget and activity funding and all activity plans, reviews and evaluations. • Ramp up efforts to explore and support innovative public and private finance models for sustainable development in collaboration with the private sector, civil society and academia. • Continue to work with, and resource, partner governments in the Pacific to build effective data, monitoring and accountability mechanisms around each of the SDGs. This must include the ability to report against the statistical indicators for the SDGs. Australia must also ensure that data collection and reporting systems for the aid program are aligned to the SDGs. • Reinvigorate and invest in a research funding scheme, building off the Australian Development Research Award Scheme (ADRAS), to support applied research and partnership between Australian and regional research institutions on bringing about the SDGs. • Ensure progress made towards achieving the SDGs is communicated to the Australian public. Australia should host a national summit every few years to monitor implementation of the Goals domestically and internationally and bring together stakeholders from across civil society, the private sector, government and academia.

10 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 11 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 11 The Goals and Targets

GOAL 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Finance 17.1 Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

17.2 Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

17.3 Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

17.4 Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

17.5 Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries Technology 17.6 Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

17.7 Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

17.8 Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology Capacity-building 17.9 Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

12 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 13 Trade 17.10 Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

17.11 Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

17.12 Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

Systemic issues Policy and institutional coherence 17.13 Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

17.14 Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

17.15 Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development Multi-stakeholder partnerships 17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships Data, monitoring and accountability 17.18 By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

17.19 By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

A. What does Goal 17 mean and why is it important? Ultimately, the success of the SDGs will depend on how effectively they are implemented. Goal 17 identifies the resources, institutions, partnerships and lines of accountability that are necessary to successfully implement the other 16 goals, and highlights the need for effective development cooperation across all countries.

Financing for development is a critical aspect of this. Achieving lasting sustainable and inclusive development will not be cheap; new sources of finance – both public and private – must be mobilised effectively and innovatively. The United Nations Addis Ababa Action Agenda sits alongside the SDGs as the global plan to fund the implementation of the Goals. Goal 17 reflects the key elements of this Agenda, emphasising the role of global trade, monetary and financial systems, international taxation reform, and Official Development Assistance (ODA).

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 13 In an interdependent global economy, the prosperity and wellbeing of developing countries are shaped by a wide range of policies and institutions of developed countries. Goal 17 recognises that though aid policies are critical, developed country policies on the environment, trade, migration and taxation significantly impact the ability of developing countries to achieve the SDGs. Goal 17 calls for policy coherence for development to ensure all nations embed development considerations across their domestic and international policies.

Goal 17 also emphasises the need for greater collaboration and partnership between governments, the private sector and civil society to empower all nations to achieve the SDGs. This includes building the technical capacity of developing countries to access new technologies, information and skill sharing.

Finally, Goal 17 emphasises the importance of effective feedback and accountability mechanisms in the implementation of the SDGs. High quality and reliable data collection is crucial to understanding development challenges and monitoring the success of development policies and programs.

B. Where is the Australian aid program at now? Australia has played a leading role in the negotiation of the SDGs and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We have strong relationships with regional governments and have worked effectively over many years to share knowledge and expertise with Pacific countries. This includes building technical capacity and improving data collection and monitoring mechanisms within governments.

When it comes to policy coherence for development, Australia has an average ranking on the Centre for Global Development’s Commitment to Development Index, which assesses the sum of impacts of national policies on developing countries across a broad spectrum of areas. 3 In 2015, Australia ranked 10 out of 27 countries overall; however, we ranked 15th on aid, 18th on technology given low Government support for research and development and 23rd on environmental policies.

Australia’s aid program has been effective and efficient and respected internationally. However, recent cuts to the aid program have meant Australia is falling well below international commitments (reaffirmed in Goal 17) to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI. In FY2015-16, Australia contributed only 0.25 per cent of ODA/ GNI. Cuts to the budget have been coupled with a decrease in transparency and predictability of Australia’s aid funding.

Australia’s aid policy identifies the importance of engaging the private sector both in Australia and in developing countries as a key priority, as well as the need to work with other partners including NGOs, governments and multilateral organisations. This has been backed by the development of strategies for private sector and NGO engagement through the aid program – Creating shared value through partnership: Ministerial statement on engaging the private sector in aid and development and DFAT and NGOs: Effective development partners.

C. Ideas to drive progress To ensure alignment with its commitments under Goal 17, Australia should:

• Take a whole of government approach to sustainable development. All Australian Government policies that affect developing countries – such as our environmental, migration, taxation and trade policies – must be aligned with and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in developing countries (see box below). This requires a whole of government plan for implementing the SDGs and a unit within Prime Minister and Cabinet with oversight for policy coherence. • In line with renewed international commitments, commit to lifting aid levels to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent ODA/GNI by 2030. Australia should also increase the transparency of the aid program, and continue to meet the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standards with up-to-date information about budget and activity funding and all activity plans, reviews and evaluations. • Ramp up efforts to explore and support innovative public and private finance models for sustainable development in collaboration with the private sector, civil society and academia. • Continue to work with, and resource, partner governments in the Pacific to build effective data, monitoring

3 Centre for Global Development, Commitment to Development Index: http://www.cgdev.org/cdi-2015/country/AUS

14 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 15 and accountability mechanisms around each of the SDGs. This must include the ability to report against the statistical indicators for the SDGs, which will be finalised by the UN in March 2016. Australia must also ensure that data collection and reporting systems for the aid program are aligned to the SDGs. • Reinvigorate and invest in a research funding scheme, building off the Australian Development Research Award Scheme (ADRAS), to support applied research and partnership between Australian and regional research institutions on bringing about the SDGs. • Ensure progress made towards achieving the SDGs is communicated to the Australian public. Australia should host a national summit every few years to monitor the implementation of the Goals domestically and internationally, and bring together stakeholders from across civil society, the private sector, government and academia.

Going beyond aid to deliver the SDGs The SDGs acknowledge that the prosperity and wellbeing of developing countries is shaped by a wide range of factors. Australia’s aid program has a key role to play in bringing about the SDGs globally, however our policies in areas such as the environment, trade, immigration, taxation and investment can also have a significant impact on developing countries.

For example, by working with our trading partners to reduce agricultural subsidies, tariffs and administrative impediments to produce from developing countries, Australia could help bolster efforts to end hunger and achieve food security in line with Goal 2. Using the new portfolio of Minister for Cities and the Built Environment, Australia is well placed to link national and international programs and knowledge exchange for sustainable and liveable cities in line with Goal 11. Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, both in Australia and by working with partner governments abroad, could boost investment in renewable energy and increase access to energy (Goal 7) while simultaneously combatting climate change (Goal 13).

UnitingWorld partners working together. Credit: UnitingWorld

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 15 GOAL 1 End poverty in all its forms everywhere

1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.5 By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

1.a Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

1.b Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

A. What does Goal 1 mean and why is it important? The world has made substantial progress on reducing poverty over the last two decades. In 1990, 47 per cent of the population in developing countries lived on less than $1.25 a day; this proportion fell to 14 per cent by 2015. Over this time, more than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.4

Despite this progress, around 850 million people globally still live in extreme poverty. Poverty remains a critical issue in the Indo-Pacific region and, close to home, Pacific Island countries continue to experience high levels of poverty and lacklustre economic growth.

Goal 1 of the SDGs sits at the heart of international development efforts – and all Goals ultimately contribute to its achievement. Goal 1 creates a global imperative to eradicate extreme poverty, measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day, and to at least halve the proportion of people living in poverty as defined by national standards. The Goal calls for action on the key barriers to poverty reduction such as unequal access to economic resources and essential services, and to build the resilience of poor and vulnerable people against the disproportionate effects of climate change and other economic, social and environmental shocks.

4 UN, 2015, Millennium Development Goals Report 2015

16 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 17 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? The purpose of Australia’s aid program is stated to be to ‘promote Australia’s national interests by contributing to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction’. The supporting aid policy places emphasis on poverty reduction, although significant emphasis is placed on the lens of economic growth without a commensurate focus on inclusive growth. Of ten performance benchmarks for Australia’s aid program, Benchmark 3 seeks to ensure all country and regional programs ‘promote economic growth in ways that provide pathways out of poverty.’5

The emphasis on resilience and social protection in Goal 1 is reflected in Australia’s aid program under the priority area Building resilience: humanitarian assistance, disaster risk reduction and social protection. It is worth noting, however, that the policy does not explicitly discuss the effects of climate change. The other five priority areas of Australia’s aid program also have significant potential links to poverty reduction though steps must be taken to ensure programming benefits the poorest people.

Australia also commits to working with partner governments to improve the coverage and quality of national social protection systems as outlined in the Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in social protection. Strategies to guide investments in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response are understood to be forthcoming at the time of publication.

C. Ideas to drive progress The Australian aid program must be focused on poverty reduction and inclusive economic growth. Goal 1 can only be achieved by improving the economic and social conditions of the poorest section of society. Benchmark 3 is a good first step but greater emphasis should be placed on ensuring Australian aid is prioritised to where there is greatest need. Australia should:

• Ensure the bulk of Australia’s aid investments are focused on low-income countries, countries with low rates of human development, fragile states, conflict and post-conflict states, and countries with persistently high gender inequalities. Within this, half of Australian aid should be targeted at fragile and conflict affected states – where the majority of the world’s poorest people now reside. • Ensure that within countries, aid investments focus on fostering income growth and opportunities for the poorest 40 per cent of people and extend to poor and marginalised groups such as women, children, people with a disability, indigenous people and ethnic and sexual minorities. • Ensure that all aid investments, regardless of their objectives, consider the effects of climate change and other environmental and economic shocks, and aim to increase community resilience to these external shocks. By way of example, the forthcoming Humanitarian Strategy and the accompanying guidance notes should ensure disaster risk reduction components are strengthened across all aid investments.

5 DFAT, 2014, Australian Aid: promoting prosperity, reducing poverty, enhancing stability

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 17 GOAL 2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

2.2 By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons

2.3 By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

2.5 By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

2.a Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries

2.b Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round

2.c Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

A. What does Goal 2 mean and why is it important? Freedom from hunger is a fundamental human right; yet an unacceptably large number of people still have insufficient food to lead healthy and productive lives. Though substantial progress has been made – since 1990 the proportion of undernourished people in developing countries has fallen by almost half – more than 790 million people still suffer from chronic undernourishment. Two thirds of the world’s hungry live in the Asia Pacific region.6 Pacific Island countries continue to struggle with undernourishment, with the prevalence of hunger actually increasing since 2010.7

6 United Nations World Food Programme, Hunger Statistics - http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats 7 FAO 2015 Regional Overview of Food Insecurity – Asia and Pacific

18 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 19 Goal 2 recognises the imperative of ending hunger by 2030, and the need for sustainable and productive agricultural systems to achieve this. The Goal highlights the importance of improving the productivity of small scale food producers – especially women and indigenous people – through increased access to land and markets, agricultural technology and financial services. Despite producing 80 per cent of food consumed in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, women farmers own very little land and receive a tiny proportion of all agricultural extension services and agricultural credit. Estimates suggest that closing the gender gap in agriculture could reduce the number of hungry people by up to 17 per cent or 135 million people.8

Goal 2 also recognises the impact of climate change and land degradation on global food security and the urgent need to implement resilient and sustainable agricultural practices.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? One of the six priority investment areas identified by Australia’s development policy isAgriculture, fisheries and water. The Government has developed the Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in agriculture, fisheries and water to further guide aid investments by DFAT, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Together, these documents emphasise the role of agricultural productivity to reduce hunger and increase food security in the Indo-Pacific region. In line with Goal 2, there is a focus on small scale farmers – particularly women – and increasing their access to markets and agricultural innovations.

In addition, the Government’s Health for Development strategy identifies nutrition as a priority investment area to contribute to better health outcomes in developing countries.

C. Ideas to drive progress Australia’s aid policies recognise agricultural productivity as a key mechanism to improve food security and reduce hunger. To achieve this and ensure alignment with Goal 2 in the short term, Australia should:

• Prioritise aid investments that target the specific barriers facing female small scale farmers, particularly to increase their access to credit, technology and agricultural extension services. • Ensure aid investments in agriculture, fisheries and water incorporate systems that are resilient to climate- related events.9 • Increase investment in programs that have an explicit nutrition orientation for pregnant women and children to ensure adequate nutrition for all pregnant women and children is achieved in the Pacific.

8 FAO 2011 The State of Food and Agriculture – Women in Agriculture 9 For further detail, see ACFID’s 2015 report Tackling climate change and promoting sustainable development.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 19 GOAL 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

3.1 By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births

3.2 By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births

3.3 By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

3.4 By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

3.5 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

3.6 By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents

3.7 By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes

3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

3.a Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate

3.b Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non- communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

3.c Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States

3.d Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

20 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 21 A. What does Goal 3 mean and why is it important? Goal 3 recognises the changing health challenges in developing countries and the fundamental importance of good health to development. While there have been many improvements in developing country health care, there are still a number of challenges worldwide and in the Indo-Pacific region. The maternal mortality ratio in the Pacific is still ten times higher than other developing countries, and access to sexual and reproductive health services remains low.10 Similarly, progress on reducing child mortality has been slower than elsewhere in the world.11 The region also carries the bulk of the global tuberculosis burden, with the rising incidence of multi-drug resistant strains.

Reflecting the success in combating infectious diseases and given new health challenges, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are now the biggest killer in the Pacific region, and increased risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity in South and South East Asia has driven an increase in rates of NCDs, placing a further burden on healthcare systems.12

It is worth noting that the increased prevalence of communicable diseases in the Pacific region increases the risk of transmission to Australia.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? One of the six priority areas identified by the Government’s aid policy framework isHealth and Education. To further guide aid investments in health, DFAT has released the Health for Development strategy. The strategy emphasises the importance of strengthening healthcare systems and is in line with Goal 3’s commitment to achieve universal healthcare coverage. However, this reflects a shift away from investments in healthcare delivery within the aid program. The proportion of the aid budget spent on health investments (when compared to other investment priorities) has decreased from 16 per cent in FY2014-15 to 14.3 per cent in FY2015-16,13 alongside a substantial reduction in the overall aid budget.

C. Ideas to drive progress To further align Australia’s health policies with Goal 3 in the short term, Australia should:

• Continue to work with partner governments to strengthen healthcare delivery systems, and continue to invest in partnerships between non-government agencies and either government or private sector providers in order to serve marginalised communities and achieve universal coverage. • Include safeguards in any transition away from direct service funding to ensure that poor and vulnerable people continue to receive effective health services. • Prioritise investment in maternal and child health care, including in sexual and reproductive health and rights in Pacific countries. • Prioritise investment – including through private sector partnerships – in non-communicable diseases given the rapidly growing risk to health NCDs pose to the Asia-Pacific region.

10 UN (2015) Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 11 Ibid 12 Byfield, S. & Moodie, R. 2013 Addressing the world’s biggest killers: Non-communicable diseases and the international development agenda 13 DFAT, 2014, 2014-15 Development Assistance Budget Summary; DFAT, 2015, 2015-16 Development Assistance Summary

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 21 GOAL 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.a Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.b By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

22 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 23 A. What does Goal 4 mean and why is it important? Education is vital to improving the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people. As well as being a fundamental human right, education allows people to participate in, and benefit from, economic growth, lifting themselves and their families out of poverty. For example, UNESCO estimates that each extra year of schooling increases an individual’s earnings by up to 10 per cent, and raises a country’s average annual GDP by 0.37 per cent.14 In addition, increasing access to quality early childhood development can result in a net benefit to developing countries of between US$10 billion and $34 billion.15 Education also enables people to participate as active, critical citizens engaged with the governance of their communities, which is vital to ensure governments are held to account for the implementation of the SDGs.

While the MDGs sought to ensure universal access to primary education, Goal 4 of the SDGs expands the focus to access and quality across all stages of the education life-cycle. The Goal also recognises that equity of access to education – including for women and girls, people with disabilities, those from indigenous communities and other minority groups – is crucial to ensure the basic human right to education for all and to help achieve the potential of all people.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Education is an investment priority under the Government’s aid policy framework, with a focus on quality, access for girls and children with disabilities, technical education and training. DFAT’s Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in education will guide aid investments in education across all country programs. The strategy highlights the need for Australia’s aid investments in education to focus on improvements in education quality and inclusive access to education, in order to allow disadvantaged sections of society to partake equally in the benefits of development. Aid investments in education (when compared to other thematic priorities) have fallen in the past year decreasing from 23 per cent in FY2014-15 to around 19 per cent in FY2015-16,16 alongside substantial decreases in the overall aid budget.

C. Ideas to drive progress Australia has strong education policies, largely in line with Goal 4, but is hampered by shortfalls in funding. To meet Goal 4 and deliver on current aid policies in the short term, Australia should:

• Continue to support programs that support teacher training and the management of effective education systems, particularly in the Pacific. • Ramp up funding and support for early childhood education as one of the best and most cost effective areas to invest in to create sustainable economic and social change in the region. • Assist partner governments to increase student retention in secondary schools, with a special focus on girls. Australia should focus on quality learning that encourages young women to join the post-school workforce or engage with further study. • Maintain Australia’s financial contribution to the Global Partnership for Education at the next pledging conference, as an effective global mechanism targeted at increasing access to, and quality of, education.

14 UNESCO 2007 The Central Role of Education in the Millennium Development Goals, available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0019/001905/190587E.pdf. 15 Task Force for the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Group on Early Childhood Care and Development 2012 Key to Equality: Early Childhood Development Available online: http://www.aserpakistan.org/document/learning_resources/2014/Early_Childhood_ Education/Consultative%20Group%20on%20ECCD%20Findings.pdf 16 DFAT, 2014, 2014-15 Development Assistance Budget Summary; DFAT, 2015, 2015-16 Development Assistance Summary

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 23 GOAL 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.6 Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.b Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.c Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

A. What does Goal 5 mean and why is it important? Every woman and girl has the right to live in dignity and with freedom from want and from fear. However, hundreds of millions of women and girls continue to be denied their human rights due to persistent, profound, and widespread gender inequality, formal and informal discrimination, multiple and overlapping systemic barriers to women’s civil and political participation, and epidemic levels of violence against women. Achieving Goal 5 is crucial to fulfilling the human rights of women and girls everywhere, and it is also a necessary precondition for achieving all other development goals.

Given the opportunity, women typically invest more in their children and families than men, and contribute to the health and productivity of whole communities. It has been estimated that universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights would prevent an estimated 79,000 maternal deaths and 1.1 million infant deaths a year, and the return on investment in family planning has been calculated at four to one.17

17 Susheela Singh and Jacqueline E. Darroch 2012 Adding it Up: Costs and benefits of contraceptive usepp 15-16; World Health Organisation Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health 2010 Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s health.

24 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 25 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Australia’s aid policy places a high importance on gender equality, with Gender equality and empowering women and girls identified as one of the Government’s six priority investment areas. The policy supports a twin-track approach of targeted assistance to programs focussed on gender equality (currently around 5 per cent of all gender programing), alongside the integration of gender equality considerations across the aid program.18

To support this policy commitment, the Government has set a performance target that at least 80 per cent of all aid investments regardless of their objectives must effectively address gender in their implementation.19 To date, however, only 54 per cent of DFAT’s current programming targets gender equality either as a principal or significant objective.20 DFAT’s Gender equality and women’s empowerment strategy commits to increasing the number of programs explicitly targeting gender equality. The strategy is particularly welcome in its focus on embedding gender equality across all of DFAT’s policy areas, including diplomacy, trade and the internal human resources of the Department itself. While ideally, gender equality should be integrated across all Australian Government policies affecting development outcomes, this is a strong step in the right direction in terms of achieving policy coherence for development, a principle central to the success of the SDGs.

In the FY2015-16 Budget, the Australian Government announced a new $50 million Gender Equality Fund ‘to accelerate support for gender equality in the Australian development program’ through ‘investments aimed at advancing gender equality.’21 The Fund will incorporate some existing projects, including Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development, as well as a new Investing in Women Initiative, aimed at increasing and improving the quality of women’s participation in South East Asian economies.22

C. Ideas for greater action The high priority placed on gender equality by the Government is highly commendable and has the potential to drive substantial progress towards achieving both Goal 5 and the SDGs overall. To realise this potential, it is critical that investments across all areas of the aid program – especially in sectors that have traditionally performed worse on gender, such as infrastructure and trade – are focused on gender equality and empowering women and girls

To further efforts to achieve Goal 5 in the short term, Australia should:

• Significantly increase the proportion of investments that have gender as the principal focus, building on the long term, sustained funding and programmatic model established by Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development. • Increase support for women’s organisations in partner countries that are on the front line working with communities to tackle gender discrimination. • Increase the support for sexual and reproductive health and rights within the aid program and in policy engagement with partner governments. • Invest in the use of the Individual Deprivation Measure in the monitoring and evaluation of aid investments across the aid program to better identify the differentiated social and economic conditions faced by women in developing countries.

18 DFAT, 2014, Performance of Australian Aid 2014-15 19 DFAT, Australia’s assistance for gender equality. http://dfat.gov.au/aid/topics/investment-priorities/gender-equality-empowering- women-girls/gender-equality/Pages/australias-assistance-for-gender-equality.aspx 20 DFAT, 2014, Performance of Australian Aid 2014-15 21 Ibid 22 DFAT, Gender Initiatives http://dfat.gov.au/aid/topics/investment-priorities/gender-equality-empowering-women-girls/gender- equality/Pages/gender-initiatives.aspx

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 25 GOAL 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

6.a By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

A. What does Goal 6 mean and why is it important? Globally, freshwater ecosystems and resources are under increasing stress as a growing human population demands more water, and as resource availability changes with the climate. Goal 6 recognises the central role that sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene play in many development outcomes and calls for a range of actions to protect global water systems and ecosystems by reducing pollution, mismanagement and wastage.

Goal 6 calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2030, recognising the human right to water and sanitation.23 Despite progress in recent years, 650 million people still do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.3 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation.24 The Goal further recognises that poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene affects women disproportionately, due to both biological and cultural factors. 25

Access to water and sanitation is critical to economic growth and human development with estimates suggesting that every US$1 invested in improving access to water and sanitation generates an economic return of up to US$34, depending on the region.26

23 As per UNGA Resolution 64/292, 2010 24 WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2015 25 WaterAid 2013 Women and WASH: Water, sanitation and hygiene for women’s rights and gender equality 26 WHO 2004 Costs and benefits of water and sanitation improvements at the global level

26 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 27 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Water and sanitation is not a standalone priority area within the Government’s aid policy, it is instead mentioned as a sub-point within the Education and Health priority area and this is reflected in the relatively low level of aid funding. However, the Government’s Health for Development Strategy 2015-2020 prioritises investments in improved access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene recognising them as an essential foundation for people’s health and quality of life, as well as a basic requirement to support economic growth and gender equality.

The priority area of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water within the aid framework, and the accompanying Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in agriculture, fisheries and water focuses on the potential of agriculture, fisheries and water for economic development, while ensuring sustainable use of resources for long term prosperity.

C. Ideas to drive progress Australia’s Health for Development Strategy provides a framework strongly aligned to Goal 6, particularly targets 6.1 and 6.2. To bolster these commitments in the short term, Australia should:

• Focus on increasing access to water and sanitation for women, girls and other marginalised groups. Australia’s aid investments in hygiene, water and sanitation must take into account the barriers faced by these groups, and should be implemented in partnership with private sector providers and NGOs, particularly women’s organisations and disabled person’s organisations, to ensure increased access for all. • Continue to invest in the Civil Society WASH Fund as a vital initiative for enhancing the sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, directly benefitting over 3.5 million people.27 • Support Australia’s newly established International Water Centre to provide links between Australian expertise and the water management needs of developing countries, including training for overseas water managers on integrated water resource management.28 • Support global action to manage water resources and restore water-related ecosystems including exporting Australian expertise in water basin management and supporting the regional implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Family at well, PNG. Credit: UnitingWorld

27 For further information on the Civil Society WASH Fund, see: www.cswashfund.org 28 Promoting the application of Water Stewardship and similar non-government certification systems as ways of transferring knowledge and improving governance in the Asia Pacific region.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 27 GOAL 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

7.1 By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7.3 By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

7.a By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology

7.b By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

A. What does Goal 7 mean and why is it important? Goal 7 recognises that access to affordable, reliable, safe and sustainable energy is vital to eradicating poverty and building shared prosperity. Access to energy drives progress in many development areas including food and water security, sanitation, healthcare, education and gender equality. It is vital at the household and community level, as well as for businesses and farming processes.

Goal 7 also recognises that meeting rising demands for energy will be one of the paramount challenges of the 21st century. Currently, more than one billion people around the world live without electricity, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Moreover, over half the world’s population only have access to irregular and unreliable energy supplies.29

Ensuring universal access to energy by 2030 while promoting sustainable development requires an ongoing shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, as committed to in the Goal. The energy sector currently accounts for about two thirds of all global greenhouse gas emissions.30

The world is shifting towards renewable energy. In 2013, the world began adding more generating capacity from renewable energy than fossil fuels.31 In Australia’s region, many Pacific Island countries have set ambitious renewable energy targets to increase access to electricity and reduce fuel costs.32 ‘Off-the-grid’ solutions to energy, which are most readily provided by renewable sources, are critical to improving energy access to poor and remote communities.

29 Climate Action Network 2014 Energy and the Post 2015 Development Agenda 30 IEA 2012 World Energy Outlook: www.worldenergyoutlook.org 31 Oxfam 2015 Powering up Against Poverty 32 Ibid

28 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 29 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Access to energy is covered in the Strategy for Australia’s Aid Investments in Economic Infrastructure. The strategy outlines that Australia will explore opportunities in energy generation and distribution (large scale as well as off-grid systems in rural areas) and continue to strengthen the regulatory environment that enables expansion of access to energy services. The strategy estimates that only 12 per cent of infrastructure expenditure - and less than 1 per cent of total Australian aid expenditure – was on energy in 2013-14, and it is unclear what percentage of this is allocated to renewable energy.

C. Ideas to drive progress While the focus on improving access to energy in the Government’s Strategy for Australia’s Aid Investments in Economic Infrastructure is welcome, it is a glaring omission that there appears to be no focus on renewable energy. To contribute to the achievement of Goal 7, Australia should:

• Significantly increase funding for renewable energy infrastructure and support partner countries to implement existing nationally-developed renewable energy plans. • Further prioritise aid investments that focus on off-the-grid solutions and help poor and remote communities to overcome the financial barriers to energy access, through supporting innovative financing schemes, local entrepreneurship and payment plans. • Actively support and engage in regional processes to improve energy regulation and efficiency and develop government-to-government and public-private partnerships such as the 2013 Pacific Energy Summit, and the Bali Clean Energy Forum. 33

Helena Rowlands (40) shows off her solar panel outside her home in Eton Village, Vanuatu Credit: Arlene Bax/OxfamAUS

33 For further detail, see: http://www.pacificenergysummit2013.com/

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 29 GOAL 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

8.1 Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries

8.2 Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.3 Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

8.4 Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead

8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

8.9 By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

8.10 Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

8.a Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries

8.b By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

30 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 31 A. What does Goal 8 mean and why is it important? There is growing recognition that economic growth must be inclusive – benefiting all sections of society – and environmentally sustainable in order to effectively reduce poverty and increase prosperity. Rising economic growth has been coupled with significant increases in inequality within low and middle income countries. In addition to the impact on those excluded from the benefits of economic growth, recent research shows that inequality tends to reduce the pace and durability of headline economic growth, while also contributing to conflict and unrest.34 Goal 8 recognises that fair and decent work for all and equal pay for work of equal value are critical to ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are enjoyed by all.

The Goal also recognises the critical contribution made by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to employment and inclusive economic growth. MSMEs in low and middle income countries account for the majority of both employment and GDP. These enterprises commonly operate in the informal sector, are often run by women and lack access to financial and other services.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Australia’s aid policy places emphasis on the role of economic growth to reduce poverty and links to the objectives of Goal 8 in two key ways.

First, a key pillar of the aid framework is private sector development. The Strategy for Australia’s investments in private sector development outlines three strategic objectives: 1) building better business and investment environments; 2) supporting growth in specific markets; and 3) maximising the development impact of businesses. The strategy also highlights the need for political economy and gender analysis to underpin private sector development work.

Second, a central element of the Government’s strategy to encourage economic growth is through Australia’s aid-for-trade investments. The aid program requires aid for trade investments to make up 20 per cent of aid investments by 2020. The Government’s Strategy for Australia’s Aid for Trade Investments focuses on improving regulatory environments to enable trade, building economic infrastructure and improving the productive capacity of the private sector in developing countries.

It is worth noting that there is limited mention within the aid policy on the importance of ensuring fair and decent work and protecting labour rights, as highlighted by Goal 8. Further, while the aid policy recognises the need for safeguards to prevent harm to ‘people and their environment’, there is no explicit link to decoupling economic growth and environment degradation in line with the Goal.35

C. Ideas to drive progress Australia’s aid policies must promote economic growth that is both inclusive and sustainable. To achieve Goal 8 in the short term, Australia should:

• Ensure that implementation of the private sector development strategy focuses on improving the productive capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises, and informal enterprises in developing countries. For example, through increasing financial literacy and access to financial services and credit – particularly among female farmers and small business owners. • Ensure aid for trade investments increase the capacity and resources available to poor sections of the community to enable them to more effectively contribute, and benefit from, economic activity, with a focus on the quality of trade and local employment creation. • Use governance investments to promote stronger regulatory and institutional environments for the protection of labour rights, and safe and secure working environments for all workers.

34 IMF Staff Discussion Note, 2014, Redistribution, Inequality and Growth, see: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2014/sdn1402. pdf 35 2014, DFAT, Australian aid: promoting prosperity, reducing poverty, enhancing stability

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 31 GOAL 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all

9.2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries

9.3 Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets

9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

9.a Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States

9.b Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

9.c Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

A. What does Goal 9 mean and why is it important? There is substantial evidence that infrastructure development can have a transformative effect on economic growth and poverty reduction. Lack of basic infrastructure such as water and sanitation systems, roads and electricity grids substantially curtail access to essential services, and impede economic and human development in developing countries. The Asia Pacific region in particular faces a significant shortfall in infrastructure investment.

At its core, Goal 9 recognises the importance of sustainable and resilient infrastructure, the role it plays in economic growth and human well-being, and the need for governments to ensure equitable access to infrastructure across all sections of society.

32 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 33 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? One of the six priority areas identified by Australia’s aid policy isInfrastructure, trade facilitation and international competitiveness. The Government’s Strategy for Investments in Economic Infrastructure focuses on mobilising private sector financing for infrastructure investment, improving access to infrastructure services to facilitate private sector and human development and promote women’s empowerment, and enhancing trade and connectivity.

In its Strategy for Australia’s Aid for Trade Investments, the Government also identifies the improvement of economic infrastructure in developing countries as a key aid for trade objective. Specifically, the strategy recommends aid investments that build ‘infrastructure networks’ to improve the flow of goods and services including projects such as ‘sea and airports, railways, arterial roads,’ and energy and communication services.

Australia has also recently become a signatory to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank – a new multilateral development bank set up by China to tackle Asia’s increasing infrastructure shortage.

C. Ideas to drive progress Although Australia’s aid policy identifies infrastructure as a priority area for human development and the empowerment of women, the focus appears to be on large-scale infrastructure assets such as ports, airports and toll roads. While these are vital investments, they are not sufficient to achieve poverty reduction and inclusive economic growth. For example, large arterial roads often bypass poor communities and do not improve their access to local markets, hospitals or schools.

To achieve Goal 9, and ensure equitable access to infrastructure in the short term, Australia should:

• Complement large-scale infrastructure investments with small-scale, community focused infrastructure that can have a significant impact on poverty reduction and growth, without large upfront capital expenditure. Pro-poor infrastructure projects include small-scale community water infrastructure or tertiary roads that link small communities to highways and cities. • Adhere to appropriate environmental and social safeguards for infrastructure investments. Specifically, Australia should apply standards such as the World Bank’s revised safeguards which seek to be the most advanced environmental and social framework of its kind within the international financial community, including through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.36 • Ensure local economic benefits are generated by infrastructure projects through community-based construction models which drive local employment and business opportunities. • Ensure that the needs and perspectives of affected communities are at the forefront of decision-making on infrastructure investments through consulting with local communities, civil society and local governments.

36 The World Bank is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of its Environmental and Social Framework to ensure World Bank investment projects safeguard poor communities and the environment. For further information: http://consultations.worldbank.org/ consultation/review-and-update-world-bank-safeguard-policies

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 33 GOAL 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries

10.1 By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard

10.4 Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality

10.5 Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations

10.6 Ensure enhanced representation and voice for developing countries in decision-making in global international economic and financial institutions in order to deliver more effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions

10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies

10.a Implement the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, in accordance with World Trade Organization agreements

10.b Encourage official development assistance and financial flows, including foreign direct investment, to States where the need is greatest, in particular least developed countries, African countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, in accordance with their national plans and programmes

10.c By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent

A. What does Goal 10 mean and why is it important? Goal 10 and Goal 8 are closely related in their focus on the urgent need to address rising inequality within developing and developed nations alike. While Goal 8 recognises the importance of inclusive economic growth, Goal 10 focuses on the need to counter rising income inequality. On average, taking into account population size, income inequality increased by 11 per cent in developing countries between 1990 and 2010.37 Most people in the world live in societies where income inequality is greater today than it was in the 1990s.

Evidence shows that income inequality – underpinned by inequality of opportunity and outcome – can act as a brake on economic growth and poverty reduction, as the benefits of economic growth are not shared across society.38

Goal 10 calls for sustained income growth for the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average. The goal recognises that greater income equality can only be achieved through the social, economic and political inclusion of all people regardless of race, gender, disability or other factors.

37 UNDP 2014 Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries 38 OECD 2014 Focus on Inequality and Growth - December 2014 www.oecd.org/social/inequality-and-poverty.htm

34 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 35 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Australia’s aid policy does not explicitly focus on tackling inequality, despite this being fundamentally linked to the achievement of the aid program’s objectives – reducing poverty and promoting sustainable growth – and the fact that rising inequality is a key issue for many countries in Australia’s region.

However, Australia’s aid policies do take a thematic approach of promoting the social and economic inclusion of marginalised groups. The aid program’s benchmark on empowering women and girls helps to embed gender considerations across the Australian aid program. The recently released strategy, Development for All: 2015–2020, outlines the Government’s commitment to ensure disability inclusion is mainstreamed across the work of DFAT.

More broadly, the Government’s aid policy identifies economic growth as a key driver of poverty reduction, committing Australia to ‘assisting the most disadvantaged, including people with disability, find pathways out of poverty.’39

C. Ideas to drive progress Australia’s current policies identify the need for inclusive economic growth, with a focus on disability and gender inclusive programming. However, a greater focus on all dimensions of structural inequality is necessary to achieve Goal 10 in the short term. Australia should:

• Ensure human rights principles guide programming in all sectors of the Australian aid program including health, education, governance and private sector development. • Work with partner governments to support the development and adoption of fiscal, wage and social protection policies that support greater equality. • Provide multilateral and bilateral assistance to developing countries to better measure where the benefits of growth are flowing within their economies and to ensure that aid programs effectively assist the poorest 40 per cent of populations. • Ensure private sector engagement in the delivery of aid continues to promote inclusion and delivers outcomes for the poorest communities. There is scope to encourage NGOs and private sector organisations to partner on shared value projects that generate development and commercial returns and safeguard the interests of the poorest.

39 DFAT 2014 Australian aid: reducing poverty, promoting prosperity, enhancing stability

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 35 GOAL 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.2 By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons

11.3 By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

11.5 By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities

11.a Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

11.b By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

11.c Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

A. What does Goal 11 mean and why is it important? Goal 11 is ground-breaking for international development as it recognises the centrality of cities in the global economy and the role of cities in addressing global challenges. Goal 11 urges the international community, national governments and local authorities to integrate strategies and pool resources for the development of resilient and sustainable cities. The Goal emphasises the need for decent, affordable housing, accessible public transport and safe open space, protection from human induced and natural disasters, and dynamic urban places to work and live.

Urban areas are home to more than half the world’s population, contribute close to 80 per cent of global GDP and consume 75 per cent of the world’s natural resources while only occupying 0.5 per cent of the world’s surface. The number of people living in urban slums is growing, and has risen by a third since 1990.40

Over 90 per cent of rapid urbanisation is occurring in developing countries, where 70 million people are moving to cities each year. Estimates suggest that one third of the developing world’s urban population are living in

40 UN Habitat 2014 World Habitat Day – Background Paper

36 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 37 slums, representing 15 per cent of all the people living in those regions.41 In developing and developed countries alike, poverty and the sustainable development of the world’s cities are closely interlinked. Goal 11 recognises the urgent need to address the demands of urban areas, to improve their management and development, and tailor disaster risk reduction programs to address the differentiated needs of urban and rural communities.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Urbanisation receives little attention in the Australian Government’s aid framework and the Government does not currently have an urbanisation strategy or demographic trends analysis guiding its aid and development investments. ACFID understands that the Government is preparing guidance notes to embed urbanisation as a cross-cutting issue across aid investments. The forthcoming humanitarian strategy will outline the Government’s approach to disaster risk reduction, although it is unclear whether the strategy will contain demographic or environmental analysis.

C. Ideas for greater action To achieve Goal 11 in the short term, Australia should:

• Ensure aid policies and programs are informed by a deeper analysis and understanding of urbanisation dynamics, urban hazards and urban disaster risk reduction and resilience approaches. • Ensure forthcoming urbanisation guidance notes consider how aid investments in areas such as health, education, water and sanitation are adapted to the specific challenges of urban environments (particularly urban slums) in order to contribute to improved health, social and environmental outcomes. • Use the new portfolio of a Minister for Cities and the Built Environment to link national and international programs and knowledge exchange for sustainable and liveable cities • Use DFAT’s involvement in the urbanisation group within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to support the formulation of an urbanisation agenda for the region. • Adapt existing disaster prevention and response policies and practices to urban contexts. Urbanisation has important consequences for disaster risk reduction and emergency responses, as informal settlers in urban and peri-urban areas are particularly vulnerable

Onima conducts a hygiene promotion class with adolescent girls in a community centre in 36 Bari Colony. Having grown up in the slum, Onima was inspired to share her knowledge of disaster preparedness and personal hygiene with others. Credit: Tom Pietrasik/Oxfam

41 UN Habitat 2014 World Habitat Day – Background Paper

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 37 GOAL 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

12.1 Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.3 By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

12.8 By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

12.a Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

12.b Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

12.c Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

A. What does Goal 12 mean and why is it important? Goal 12 recognises that emerging economies, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, must bypass the inefficient, polluting and ultimately costly phases of development by leapfrogging straight to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices. As outlined by Goal 12, SCP practices offer an integrated approach to achieve overall development plans, while reducing economic, social and environmental costs and strengthening economic competitiveness.

Manufacturing has driven economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region over the last decade. While this has contributed to poverty reduction, increased growth and trade have multiplied demands on resources and are leading to severe environmental damage. SCP has been increasingly applied effectively to industries in the Asia Pacific region. However, the SCP-approach has not been replicated widely, especially not within small medium enterprises (SMEs) that lack access to the finance and data necessary to implement and improve sustainable

38 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 39 consumption and production practices. This is mainly due to the lack of efficient business networks and dialogue between industry, financial intermediaries, government and civil society, and an inadequate enabling environment (insufficient legislative, economic and voluntary incentives to stimulate the uptake of SCP).

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Australia’s current aid policies do not explicitly articulate the need for sustainable consumption and production practices. The Government’s Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in private sector development, identifies “improved environmental sustainability” as a desired outcome of DFAT’s work in private sector development, but does not contain detail on how this outcome will be promoted.42

C. Ideas to drive progress The Australian Government has an opportunity to provide leadership in promoting sustainable consumption and production practices in the Asia-Pacific region. To promote the achievement of Goal 12 in the short term, Australia should:

• Outline how Australia’s aid investments will contribute to implementation of the 10 Year Programme of Action, as outlined in Goal 12.1.43 This should include the promotion of sustainable production (development of less polluting and more resource efficient products, processes and services) and sustainable consumption patterns and behaviours (purchase of less polluting and more resource-efficient products; conducting more sustainable lifestyles and behaviour). • Prioritise aid investments that support SMEs to adopt sustainable consumption and production practices by improving their access to finance and technical innovations, and by ‘greening’ the supply chain through encouraging sound environmental practices.

42 2015, DFAT, Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in private sector development, pg 16 43 10 YFP is a global framework of action to enhance international cooperation to accelerate the shift towards SCP in both developed and developing countries - http://www.unep.org/10yfp /.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 39 GOAL 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

13.a Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

13.b Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

A. What does Goal 13 mean and why is it important? Goal 13 recognises that climate change poses a fundamental obstacle to future development prospects. While climate change will impact all nations, the World Bank estimates that developing countries will bear some 75-80 per cent of the cost of damage. These impacts are not a far off threat – they are already being felt including through sea level rises, increased intensity of tropical cyclones, decreasing crop yields and water shortages.44

Goal 13 sets out a number of targets for climate change and development, while acknowledging that the new international climate change agreement developed in Paris in December is the primary mechanism for global action on climate change. The Paris Agreement includes a commitment to keep global warming below 2 degrees and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees; pledges by more than 190 countries to cut emissions and five-year review cycles to strengthen these pledges; provisions to address ‘loss and damage’ facing developing countries; and an agreement to extend the current $100 billion goal in climate finance through to 2025 and to then set a new goal for climate finance post-2025.45

While the outcome from Paris is a landmark agreement, stronger action is needed by governments, the private sector and civil society if the world is to achieve the goal of staying below 1.5 degrees and to support developing countries to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change and build resilience to climate related shocks. Such action is vital for the achievement of all SDGs as without appropriate action to tackle climate change, poverty and inequality will increase.

The good news is that measures to tackle climate change can also reduce poverty. For example, renewable energy development (Goal 7) can allow energy access to millions of people currently living without it while also cutting emissions.

44 World Bank 2014 Turn Down the Heat 45 2015, UNFCCC, Adoption of the Paris Agreement

40 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 41 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? Climate change receives little attention in the Government’s aid policy and performance framework, appearing only as an area of investment concerned with building resilience in the face of humanitarian disasters. Moreover, the aid program lacks a dedicated strategy for climate change despite it being a fundamental issue for development, particularly in Australia’s region.

According to Australia’s Second Biennial Report on its progress towards meeting commitments under the UNFCCC, Australia has provided an average of A$187 million per year in climate finance since 2010 through multilateral and bilateral channels, including $229 million in 2014-15.46

In 2014, the Government made a welcome contribution of $200 million over four years to the Green Climate Fund, the world’s leading fund for addressing climate change in developing countries. Australia has also been elected to co-chair the Green Climate Fund, alongside South Africa.

In Paris in December 2015, the Prime Minister announced that Australia will contribute at least $1 billion over the next five years to support vulnerable countries to adapt to climate change and its impacts, however this represents no increase on Australia’s previous contributions and is scheduled to come from a much diminished aid budget.

While a range of aid projects continue to help people to better cope with climate change impacts – such as promoting food security and improving water systems – dedicated programming, such as the Community-based Climate Change Action Grants, appears to have mostly been discontinued.

C. Ideas to drive progress To meet Goal 13, and global commitments made through the Paris agreement in the short term, Australia should:

• Develop and implement a climate change strategy for Australia’s aid program to ensure climate change is integrated across policy areas and to drive targeted climate change programming, particularly in Pacific Island countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change and climate-related disasters. • Scale up Australia’s contribution to international climate finance from approximately $200 million to $558 million per year in public finance. Climate finance must be on top of Australia’s existing development assistance, to prevent the diversion of funding from other poverty alleviation programs. Such funding should be channelled through the Green Climate Fund and through bilateral and regional aid programs. Funding to Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries for climate change adaptation should be prioritised.

Stumps of palm trees claimed by rising sea levels on Ambae Island, Vanuatu. Locals have already moved the coast road inland and will need to do so again if the water continues to rise. Credit: Iuma Bani / Anglican Overseas Aid

46 Australian Government, December 2015, Australia’s Second Biennial Report, http://apo.org.au/resource/australias-second-biennial- report

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 41 GOAL 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans

14.3 Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels

14.4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics

14.5 By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information

14.6 By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation

14.7 By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism

14.a Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries

14.b Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets

14.c Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want

A. What does Goal 14 mean and why is it important? Goal 14 recognises the fundamental importance of the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Global fisheries make a substantial contribution to food security, livelihoods for fishing communities and economic development. As such, the protection of marine environments is integral to the achievement of several other goals and their targets.

Developing countries around the Indian Ocean to our west, in the South Pacific to our east, and in South-East Asia to our north all depend heavily on their marine resources, both as a source of food and nutrition, and as a major contributor to local and national economies. For example, seafood accounts for between 70 and 90 per cent of people’s protein requirements in the Pacific, while fish stocks account for up to 60 per cent of all

42 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 43 government revenue in some Pacific countries.47 Coastal fisheries are particularly important for the livelihoods of poor coastal communities with limited alternate food sources.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? The Australian aid policy identifiesAgriculture, Fisheries and Water as one of its six priority areas, and commits to supporting sustainable fisheries management and working with partner governments to improve their water management. The strategy guiding these investments, Strategy for Australia’s aid investments in agriculture, fisheries and water, is largely in line with Goal 14 and relevant parts of other Goals, highlighting the need to reduce illegal and unregulated fishing in Australia’s region and the importance of working with regional governments, the private sector and NGOs. The strategy highlights the need to adopt a whole of government approach to fisheries management.

C. Ideas to drive progress Australia has a long legacy of using its expertise in water and fisheries management to assist countries in the region to secure marine resources. Current policies are well aligned with Goal 14. To further strengthen action in this area, Australia should:

• Focus on working with regional agencies and national governments to improve fisheries governance and regulation, strengthen institutions and enhance legal frameworks to improve compliance. One example would be helping partner governments in the region to build capacity for Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS), and patrolling to eradicate illegal unregulated and unreported fishing. • Prioritise aid investments to sustain small-scale coastal commercial and subsistence fisheries – working with local communities and NGOs to manage marine resources, focusing on building capacities within local communities and government agencies.

Daniel Kaltonga (35) is a diving fisherman. He says the effects of climate change have brought bigger fish closer to where he dives as they hunt for food. Ocean acidification and Cyclone Pam have contributed to change in the reef and fish patterns. Eton, Vanuatu. Credit: Arlene Bax/OxfamAUS

47 Secretariat of the Pacific Community 2007 Agenda item 4: The future of Pacific fisheries—planning & managing for economic growth, food security and sustainable livelihoods, Fifth Conference of the Pacific Community, Apia, Samoa

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 43 GOAL 15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

15.2 By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally

15.3 By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world

15.4 By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development

15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species

15.6 Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed

15.7 Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products

15.8 By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species

15.9 By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts

15.a Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems

15.b Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation

15.c Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities

44 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 45 A. What does Goal 15 mean and why is it important? The focus of Goal 15 is on taking steps to protect terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, with a particular focus on reducing deforestation and combatting desertification and land degradation. It is critical that the Australian Government recognises the contribution of forests and other ecosystems (e.g. wetlands) to reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change, and integrate ecosystem based adaptation as part of development strategies.

B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? In November 2014, Australia hosted the first Asia Pacific Rainforest Summit, resulting in the Asia Pacific Rainforest Recovery Plan, towards which Australia is now supporting work. Australia also committed $6 million at this Summit to support the sustainable management of rainforests in the Asia-Pacific region. However, sustainable forest ecosystems management does not feature as a strong focus of the aid program, despite the region having some of the most environmentally and economically important forest ecosystems in the world.

C. Ideas to drive progress To achieve Goal 15 in the short term, Australia should:

• Introduce a forest ecosystem component to DFAT’s aid program, including a commitment to support forest ecosystem conservation and equitable land tenure reform in rainforest countries. • Continue to work with partner governments to reduce degradation and deforestation, and improve sustainable forest management in developing countries. • Continue to protect high conservation value and high carbon stock forests, particularly those which conserve species impacted by development; do this through cooperation with indigenous peoples and local communities, and through recognition of indigenous conserved territories and areas.

Rainforest leading down to the Pacific Ocean on the east side of the island of Maewo, Vanuatu. Credit: Iuma Bani / Anglican Overseas Aid

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 45 GOAL 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

16.1 Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

16.3 Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

16.4 By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.8 Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

16.9 By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

16.a Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

16.b Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

A. What does Goal 16 mean and why is it important? Goal 16 focuses on a range of elements that underpin peaceful, inclusive and effective societies – particularly the impact of conflict and violence, the critical role of governance and the importance of strong, accountable institutions to protect and provide essential services to citizens.

Goal 16 recognises that violence and conflict within and between countries can substantially impede development gains and the achievement of the SDGs. Globally, there are 1.5 billion people living in areas affected by fragility, conflict or large scale violence, a staggering 60 million of whom have been displaced.48 Violence is particularly prevalent against women and children. It is estimated that between 500 million and 1.5 billion children experience violence annually and that one in three women and girls experience physical and sexual violence, with rates as high as two in three in some Pacific countries.49 Significant effort must be made to reduce violence and promote peace globally, and in Australia’s own region. Countries such as Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are particularly vulnerable.

Goal 16 also highlights the complex systemic challenges facing developing country governments and citizens – such as corruption, bribery, weak public institutions and poor adherence to the rule of law – and how these issues corrode the ability of governments to function effectively, and undermine poverty reduction efforts.

48 World Bank, World Development Report 2011; UN, 2015, Millennium Development Goals Report 2015 49 ChildFund and Save the Children, May 2015, Accountability for the Post 2015 Targets on Violence against Children

46 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 47 B. Where is Australia’s aid program at now? The Australian Government has identifiedBuilding resilience: humanitarian assistance, disaster risk reduction and social protection as one of six priority investment areas in the Australian aid policy which covers the importance of responding to conflict and building peaceful and resilient societies. Further detail is expected in the forthcoming Humanitarian Strategy and accompanying guidance notes.

The Government has also identifiedEffective governance: policies, institutions and functioning economies as a priority investment area, with investment in governance currently around 18 per cent of the total aid program. These investments are guided by the Effective Governance: Strategy for aid investments which sets out the Government’s approach to governance focus areas and programming.

A further Government priority is Gender equality and empowering women and girls, with a strategy that is applicable across Australia’s foreign policy, economic diplomacy and development efforts. Ending violence against women and girls is one of the Government’s three main focuses under this priority.

C. Ideas to drive progress We welcome the commitments in Australia’s aid policy to continue to respond promptly and effectively to humanitarian emergencies, to promote effective governance and work with civil society to enable citizens and organisations to engage with governments, and the commitment to ending violence against women.

To further strengthen these commitments in line with Goal 16, Australia should:

• Develop a rigorous policy framework to guide efficient, effective, timely and accountable responses to protracted crises, including through multi-year funding agreements that strategically address the root causes and chronic indicators of crises. • Bolster implementation of Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, including by implementing the findings of the 2015 Global Study on the Implementation of UNSCR 1325. • Increase support for preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in Melanesia, which is widespread, persistent and unacceptably high. • Increase support for building an enabling environment for civil society in developing countries, and support local civil society organisations to help foster active citizens and hold governments to account. • Continue to promote and adhere to international humanitarian law and human rights law, and work in close cooperation with human rights bodies.

THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals 47 Conclusion

The Sustainable Development Goals, with 17 goals and 169 targets and indicators, form a complex framework to guide international action to eliminate poverty and promote sustainable development by 2030.

As the world now turns to the task of implementing the Goals, it is worth emphasising that the Goals and targets of the SDGs are inextricably linked and should be implemented holistically. Progress in one Goal can enhance and compound the success of other Goals. Achievements in empowering women and girls (Goal 5), for example, will contribute significantly to the eradication of poverty and inequality (Goals 1 and 10), improvements in education and health outcomes (Goals 3 and 4), and will increase the productive capacities of economies (Goal 8). In this way, the Goals create a virtuous circle of development – success in one area begets success in others.

The last 15 years have seen the world make extraordinary gains in reducing poverty and improving the wellbeing of millions of people around the world. This progress was made when nations united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. There is no doubt that by building on what has already been achieved, by ramping up efforts and working together and through harnessing the unprecedented technology and resources available today, the world can again make enormous strides to end poverty and build a sustainable future for all. By focusing Australia’s international aid and development efforts on the achievement of the SDGs, Australia can play a collaborative and effective role in building global and regional opportunity, prosperity and stability to 2030.

48 THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | From Policy to Action: Australian Aid and the Sustainable Development Goals Current Member List

Full Members: • Family Planning New South Wales • Salvation Army (NSW Property Trust) • Food Water Shelter • Save the Children Australia • ACC International Relief • Foresight (Overseas Aid and Prevention • Service Fellowship International Inc. • Act for Peace - NCCA of Blindness) • School for Life Foundation • ActionAid Australia • Fred Hollows Foundation, The • SeeBeyondBorders • Adara Development Australia* • Global Development Group • Sight For All • ADRA Australia • Global Mission Partners • So They Can • Afghan Australian Development • Good Shepherd Services • Sport Matters Organisation • Grameen Foundation Australia • Surf Aid International • Anglican Aid • Habitat for Humanity Australia • Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation • Anglican Board of Mission - Australia • Hagar Australia Australia Limited • HealthServe Australia • TEAR Australia • Anglican Overseas Aid • Hope Global • Transform Aid International • Anglican Relief and Development Fund • Hunger Project Australia, The (incorporating Baptist World Aid) Australia • International Children’s Care (Australia) • Transparency International Australia • Asia Pacific Journalism Centre • International Christian Aid and Relief • UNICEF Australia • Asian Aid Organisation Enterprises • Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA • Assisi Aid Projects • International Needs Australia • UnitingWorld • Australasian Society for HIV, Viral • International Nepal Fellowship (Aust) Ltd • University of Cape Town Australian Trust Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine • International RiverFoundation • Volunteers in Community Engagement • Australia for UNHCR • International Women’s Development (VOICE) • Australia Hope International Inc. Agency • WaterAid Australia • Australian Business Volunteers • Interplast Australia & New Zealand • Women for Women in Africa • Australian Doctors for Africa • Islamic Relief Australia • World Education Australia • Australian Doctors International • KTF (Kokoda Track Foundation) • World Vision Australia • Australian Federation of AIDS • Kyeema Foundation • WWF-Australia Organisations • Lasallian Foundation • Australian Foundation for the Peoples of • Leprosy Mission Australia, The Affiliate Members: Asia and the Pacific • Live & Learn Environmental Education • Australian Himalayan Foundation • Love Mercy Foundation • Australian National University – School • Australian Lutheran World Service • Mahboba’s Promise Australia of Archaeology and Anthropology, • Australian Marist Solidarity Ltd • Marie Stopes International Australia College of Arts and Social Sciences • Australian Medical Aid Foundation • Marist Mission Centre • Deakin University – Alfred Deakin Research Institute • Australian Mercy • Mary MacKillop International • La Trobe University – Institute of Human • Australian Red Cross • Mary Ward International Australia Security and Social Change • Australian Respiratory Council • Mercy Works Ltd. • Murdoch University – School of • Australian Volunteers International • Mission World Aid Inc. Management and Governance • Beyond the Orphanage • Motivation Australia • Refugee Council of Australia • Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia) • MSC Mission Office • RMIT – Global Cities Research Institute • Brien Holden Vision Institute Foundation • Nusa Tenggara Association Inc. • Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind • Bright Futures Child Aid and • Oaktree Foundation Children Development Fund (Australia) • One Thousand Villages • University of Melbourne – School of • Burnet Institute • Opportunity International Australia Social and Political Sciences • Business for Millennium Development • Oro Community Development Project • University of Queensland – Institute for • CARE Australia Inc. Social Science Research • Caritas Australia • Oxfam Australia • CBM Australia • University of Sydney – Office of Global • Palmera Projects Engagement • ChildFund Australia • Partners in Aid • University of the Sunshine Coast – • CLAN (Caring and Living as Neighbours) • Partners Relief and Development International Projects Group • Credit Union Foundation Australia Australia • University of Technology, Sydney – • Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred • People with Disability Australia Institute for Sustainable Futures Heart Overseas Aid Fund • PLAN International Australia • Vision 2020 • Diaspora Action Australia • Quaker Service Australia • University of Western Australia – School • Diplomacy Training Program • RedR Australia of Social Sciences • Door of Hope Australia Inc. • Reledev Australia • Western Sydney University – School of • Edmund Rice Foundation (Australia) • RESULTS International (Australia) Social Sciences and Psychology** • EDO NSW • Royal Australian and New Zealand • Engineers without Borders College of Ophthalmologists * Denotes Interim Full Member • Every Home Global Concern • Royal Australasian College of Surgeons ** Denotes Interim Affiliate Member • Fairtrade Australia New Zealand • Salesian Missions ACFID 14 Napier Close Deakin ACT 2600 Private Bag 3 Deakin ACT 2600 Australia P +61 2 6285 1816 F +61 2 685 1720 E main@acfid.asn.au www.acfid.asn.au